


Pride

by haku23



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-21
Updated: 2013-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-24 04:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/935623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haku23/pseuds/haku23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Bucky go to a Pride parade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pride

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of those rare stories by me that isn't for anyone else, isn't anyone else's prompt, and is just from my own imagination-I have one, who knew? Anyway, I was inspired by a post on Tumblr and my own experiences with walking in a Pride(though not in New York) march to write a fic about Steve and Bucky marching in one. Zokari and Lopez are just random OCs I made up for this fic, obviously. 
> 
> This is set in a modge podge world of both 616 and MCU but more 616 because making the jump from MCU to comic fic is intimidating and I'm taking it slow.

“Rogers, are you fucking with me right now?”

 

He shakes his head, pulls on his boots, “no, sir.”

 

“Now I know that you're not planning on making a scene.”

 

“We're walking in the parade. In uniform. Sir.”

 

Bucky's uniform will be his military dress-or rather, one of the men at the nursing home's uniform he'd graciously lent out for the occasion-while Steve wears the stars and stripes. Fury's presence is not unexpected but not entirely welcome either. He'd come bringing talk of security risks because a guy can't get shot at a couple times without everyone anticipating it again and Steve gets to his feet, squares his shoulders, and sets his jaw.

 

“Are you telling me that I can't march in the parade, sir?”

 

“No one's telling you you can't do anything, but dammit, Cap, take an escort.”

 

“Lopez and Zokari,” he replies immediately and Fury sighs but nods, gives in, “but they're staying at least ten feet back at all times.”

 

“Why do I get the impression you and Barnes are planning on giving them the slip?”

 

Steve shrugs and heads for the door-a four minute walk or so will bring them to the start of the parade route but it would pay to be early so they could figure out where exactly the organizers wanted them marching. Bucky appears out of a conference room wearing a smirk and his uniform and Steve has to take a minute just to look. It's not a perfect fit-they never were-but it's good enough. He reaches out, brushes an imaginary fleck of dust off of his shoulder because this, this is as good as a time machine. Bucky's hair is longer, there are lines under his eyes, between his brows that weren't there back then but he's still overwhelmed with the desire just to touch.

 

“Not mine,” Bucky says, the corners of his lips turning up and Steve grins, punches him in the shoulder.

 

“What, I'm not allowed to look?”

 

He smooths down the front of his uniform, “yeah, it ain't the looking I'm afraid of.”

 

“We're taking Zokari and Lopez. Mandatory SHIELD escort.”

 

Bucky smiles, understands, “well tell 'em to get their glad rags on then.”

 

He doesn't expect them to go all out but Lopez shows up with a grin, some facepaint, and not much else and Zokari has an American flag with the stripes replaced by the colours of the rainbow leaned against his shoulder and wears his SHIELD uniform.

 

“Tell me you're kidding,” Zokari says, rolling his eyes when he catches sight of Lopez.

 

“I'm blending.”

 

“They'll eat you alive out there, I hope you know that.”

 

“Who says that's not my plan?” Lopez waggles his eyebrows and Bucky laughs.

 

“I like this guy.”

 

“Thought you might,” Steve smiles, shakes his head, “the parade starts in an hour. Let's move out or we won't get a good spot.”

 

Keeping a low profile had never been much of an option-not with them dressed as they are-but he hadn't expected to be stopped and honked at _quite_ so often. People scream from their cars(he assumes it's encouragement because he can't quite make out the words), ask for their picture, tell Steve he has a _great_ costume where did he get such an awesome replica of the shield?, tell Bucky that they're grateful for his service, and so they make it to the parade base camp only half an hour before it's scheduled to begin. One of the organizers, a woman with short hair and rainbows painted on both of her cheeks holding a clipboard, sprints to them immediately.

 

“The person we wanted to make a speech before the parade just dropped out-their partner went into labour early, can you say something?”

 

The crowd around them has already whipped themselves into an appropriate frenzy attaching last minute things to floats and costumes, putting the finishing touches on hair pieces, painting hearts and signs and words on their arms and legs and so he barely thinks of it before saying yes. “Could I get a piece of paper and a pencil, please?”

 

She pats her pockets before producing one of the pens tucked behind her ear and tears off a piece of paper from her clipboard, “fill out the front part and hand it into one of the volunteers wearing purple ribbons.”

 

“Right.”

 

She turns to go then turns back around and shakes his hand more vigorously than anyone he's ever met, “thanks for everything.”

 

“Anything to help out, ma'am.”

 

He finds a curb to sit on and starts on the speech. It's not that he's never done one before, but it feels different somehow. These people have struggled while he'd slept, fought for rights he gets without having to do anything. It doesn't feel right that he make the speech.

 

“You gotta write _something_ ,” Bucky says after a glance at his empty sheet of paper. Lopez and Zokari form a loose perimeter although they don't look out of place. Zokari has marched in the parade every year for five years and Steve knows that there will be other SHIELD operatives both in and out of uniform here too.

 

“It doesn't feel right, Buck. I haven't done anything worthy of this.”

 

Bucky shrugs, “must've done something right if they're asking you.”

 

“I'm gonna ask if there's someone else,” he gets to his feet and Bucky yanks him back down.

 

“You heard her. It's gotta be you. You're Captain America and you're marching in the Pride parade in uniform, talkin' about how great it is that two fellas can get married now. Can't go back in time and participate in Stonewall, stupid.”

 

“Jerk.”

 

“I call 'em how I see 'em.”

 

It helps the words flow better, though and when he's done he looks at Bucky then to their escort, tips his head towards them. They slip away even though they won't be able to stay hidden for long with how they're dressed. But they only need a couple of minutes and the alleyway is poorly lit enough that it will hide them for that long at least.

 

He takes a breath to try to calm his nerves and Bucky pulls him down for a kiss, “you're gonna do good, kid.”

 

“You think, coach?”

 

“Shaddup.”

 

“Are you gonna be okay?” he pushes their foreheads together, tipping Bucky's borrowed hat off of his head.

 

“Yeah,” he rests his hand over the star on Steve's chest.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Yeah, ready.”

 

They break apart and pick up Bucky's hat then head for the podium where the others have gathered. There's an older man in an army uniform that shakes their hand, two women in business suits, two more people with red and blue afros, and then he and Bucky. The woman from earlier grabs him and pulls him to the front of the line.

 

“Cap, you're going first. Your partner can go too,” she says and then starts talking quickly into the walkie talkie in his hand.

 

“Nah, I'll just...”

 

Steve nods, “I'll find you after.”

 

Bucky manages to blend in damn near perfectly in spite of his uniform but when Steve gets pushed out-he feels like he's been drafted back into the USO again-onto stage he finds him amongst the other people forming a tight crowd around the stage. He looks out at them all for a minute, flattens his crumpled piece of paper down on the podium. They're all smiling and they cheer for him when he starts trying to speak.

 

“In case you're wondering...I am the real Captain America. I can see a couple of people doing real great um...impressions,” the guy he sees wearing Captain America pasties with a child size replica shield and helmet lets out a whoop, “but I want to say thank you to everyone involved for giving me this opportunity to be here. When I was a kid we didn't talk about this. You married a nice girl, settled down, and that was it. As I stand here, looking out at all of you I think back on all the men and women who I knew who loved someone that the law told them they shouldn't and it makes me sad to think that they'll never know the happiness that I know, that they'll never get to come out to applause and happy embraces. When I went to sleep we were at war, when you could get dishonourably discharged for even looking at a guy the wrong way. I woke up and we we're halfway to having marriage rights so I want to take this time to say thank you to the people who fought for this, who died not knowing what it was like to be able to walk hand in hand without worrying about being arrested, to you all, who know what it feels like to be told 'no' and shoved aside by a government who should work for you. When it came down to it you stood up for what you believed in and didn't back down and you did it. You had pride in who you were-more than I can ever match even if I tried. Thank you, for your struggles, the hours you spent picketing and fighting for something you knew was right not just for yourselves, but for America, thank you for this parade, and allowing me to join you here when I'm just riding on your coattails. There's no one else I'd rather march shoulder to shoulder with than you all. Happy Pride.”

 

The crowd explodes into cheers and Steve gets the distinct impression that he could have said anything and ended it with Happy Pride and they would have been excited.

 

Bucky is waiting for him when he walks down the three steps back to the street, “I do okay?”

 

“You really gotta ask that question?”

 

“It was a bit...cheesy.”

 

“Nah, they see you and they expect it. Was waiting for the national anthem to start playing behind you.”

 

“Ha ha,” he says but holds out his hand and Bucky takes it.

 

“They told me they want us marching at the front of the military group.”

 

“You okay with that?”

 

“You ever gonna stop asking that question or what? They got pretty strict policies about what you can do around the military section. No firecrackers, that kind of thing.”

 

“Sounds like they've got it all pretty under control,” he pulls the shield off of his back and positions it at his side. They find the man in charge of herding their section and directs them to the front line where other military personnel stand in uniform waiting for the go ahead.

 

Steve shakes their hands one by one-or at least tries to get them all-and takes his place at the front though he privately thinks that there are men and women far more suitable to lead than himself. But Bucky elbows him, “crack a smile for once, would ya?”

 

“I just.”

 

“Never knew how to just enjoy a good thing when you got it.”

 

He turns to him, smiles, “what, you don't feel like I enjoy _you_ enough?”

 

“Funny guy. I could be enjoyed more often.”

 

“I'll keep it in mind,” he says and someone behind them grumbles 'could they be more adorable?'.

 

Once they start marching and the crowds cheering he finds he can't keep the smile off of his face-everyone else's are infectious and people wave to them from the sidelines, grinning too, wearing shirts with one liners on them, with kids on their shoulders and dogs with rainbows painted onto their fur. There are people throwing glitter and generally making a mess of the street so that eventually they may as well be walking on confetti, people with signs saying 'Christians against Homophobia', old people, teenagers, black, white, Hispanic people, it feels like the entire city has gathered in one spot and some even hang out windows and fire escapes cheering. Bucky smiles beside him-not much but it's better than a frown-and holds his hand even when they start to sweat from the sun beating down on them constantly. He hears some people shouting to him, asking if he's _really_ Captain America. He can't exactly answer them except with a thumbs up and a smile but it's enough for them to holler even louder.

 

Fury had advised against going public back when he and Bucky had first started together. The next day Steve had set up a press conference announcing it though SHIELD had given him a lecture appropriate of his 'infraction' afterwards. He hadn't named Bucky, but they've seen themselves in tabloids while standing in the checkout in grocery store so he figures that they know by now. If they don't them holding hands on national television at a Pride parade will get the message across loud and clear.

 

Someone releases balloons at some point and he jumps up and grabs one for a kid trying to wrap their tiny hand around the string. She hides behind her mothers but her fingers are tightly wrapped around the ribbon anyway so it counts as a victory.

 

It's a long trek to the end point in the heat and his cheeks hurt by the end but he keeps smiling anyway. He can't help it with how everyone else manages to remain so enthusiastic even in the hot sun and to cheer and wave back to everyone on the sidelines. It feels almost surreal when they reach the end and everyone cheers again as they join the group of people already finished. Organizers still run around with walkie talkies and clipboards but even they have slowed down-everything went off without a hitch, apparently, and he takes a minute to just soak up the atmosphere a little more. _This_ is what he fights for, what he puts in long days and nights to protect. The air is thick with music and people laughing and he stands amongst them all knowing that they'd done something good. Maybe things won't change right away-they still face battles they've yet to win, after all-but he stands here with Bucky's hand in his and thinks that they're one step closer to being worthy of calling themselves free.

 

“Ready to head out?” he asks when he realizes that they've been standing around in the crowd for ten minutes not doing much. People with not much on dance in the streets now while they wait for the rest of the parade to get to the end. Hands reach for them to pull them both into the writhing masses until Steve starts deflecting them with the shield and they get the hint.

 

Bucky shrugs, “could go get a couple of those rainbow shots everyone's been drinking.”

 

They're close, so close that Steve can taste the burn of alcohol on his tongue, when the press swoops in. Of course, he'd made a speech and worn the uniform to boot so he hadn't expected to get out without being harassed but a couple of drinks would have been nice. The crowd is thick-in his wildest dreams that would have been enough to keep the reporters at bay but they find him anyway. The star spangled outfit probably doesn't do much to keep a low profile which they keep telling him every time he attempts covert operations. It doesn't feel right to blend in, hide from his responsibilities as a public figure though, even if the uniform sticks to him in uncomfortable places and his hair is flattened against his head with sweat.

 

“I'll get you one, you take care of those numbskulls.”

 

“Buck,” he sighs, turns back to the reporter, “can we make this quick?”

 

“Sure. Why the uniform? Thoughts about same-sex marriage being legalized? Where to now?”

 

“Part of my life, it's great, none of your business.”

 

The USO had taught him a great deal about being diplomatic, the Avengers had taught him again, but Bucky is already back and holding up jello shots looking like a picture of his younger self so he makes the interviews quicker than might have been polite. E! Keeps trying to come back for more with questions phrased in slightly different ways to get a different information from him and he spots TMZ snapping photos the entire time he's 'no comment'ing and trying in vain to have just _one_ 'drink'. By the time he makes it over to Bucky the smile has fallen from his face.

 

“You tell 'em the plan to elope, or what?”

 

“Can't tell 'em what I don't know. Ready to go home?”

 

“We can stay if you want,” he hands over Steve's shot and tosses back his own, “how the hell are you supposed to?”

 

“Nah, I'm ready to get out of this thing.”

 

He manages to swallow his shot whole-which seems to be the proper way-then grab Bucky while heading in the direction of the subway. They could have called for a SHIELD escort-Zokari and Lopez have probably started a full out search mission by now seeing as he'd destroyed his earpiece somewhere between 28th and 25th -however he feels drawn to the subway anyway. They make for a memorable picture for sure but maybe it's the way Bucky's frown has turned into a full blown glower that keeps people from approaching.

 

“Well that was fun.”

 

“It was...something.”

 

“Don't think I've seen that many women's chests since before the war,” Bucky quips and Steve shakes his head.

 

“Everyone was checkin' you out, glad I brought you as my date or who knows what'd happen?”

 

He shrugs, sinks lower in one of the uncomfortable seats, “probably abandon you for one of those guys in the g-strings covered in glitter.”

 

“That's your type, huh?”

 

“I dunno, could be fun.”

 

“I wear that and you're getting a pair of those Captain America nipple covers,” he says under his breath and Bucky barks out a laugh.

 

“Yeah, alright, you got a deal.”

 

When they get home it isn't long before they're tearing off their clothes, leaving a trail of olive drab and blue to the bedroom with the exception of Bucky's hat which they conveniently place in front of one of SHIELD's cameras. The apartment is air conditioned, dries the sweat on their bodies while they lie on top of the covers unwinding.

 

“What's your opinion on actually eloping?” Steve asks after awhile because Bucky's joke from earlier has been turning over in his head since he'd said it. He tries not to stare-it makes him squirrelly and that's all either of them needs right now.

 

“Trying to make an honest man of me?”

 

“You're already an honest man, Buck,” he says even though it makes Bucky shake his head same as usual.

 

“Think you're the only one who really believes that, y'know.”

 

They lie there awhile longer, until they're both thoroughly cooled down and the last strings of songs from the parade stop repeating in their heads. Steve wonders if he should've gotten a ring, made it more official but Bucky wouldn't have appreciated him asking on a podium in public and this has been their only day off since the laws had been changed. He stays on his side of the bed, resolute in his need to give Bucky space.

 

“The answer's yes, punk, jeez.”

 

“I call Sam as my best man,” Steve says because Sam has been there through it all but Bucky shakes his head.

 

“Nah, Stark'll want in on that. Probably pay for the whole damn thing for the privilege too.”

 

He sighs because of course he would and maybe he ought to make Tony his best man just to further smooth everything over but the relationship between he and Bucky leaves something to be desired on the best days. “You can have Peter on your side?”

 

“That supposed to entice me? Fine, I'll take Namor.”

 

“Namor is not coming to our wedding, Bucky.”

 

“Why not? Be fun. Probably show up in a seashell or somethin'.”

 

They roll around on the bed a little more, shoving and wrestling until they're out of breath, “fine, Tony. But I get Sharon.”

 

“That ever up for debate?”

 

“Dunno, those tabloids seemed to think you two had a thing for awhile,” he smiles, kisses him, “Carol.”

 

“You get to choose two in a row now? Luke, Natasha.”

 

“Wanda-”

 

“I don't even know Wanda so take her-”

 

“She's a nice woman, you'd like her.”

 

“So you dated her. Uh,” Bucky lays still, “fine, Peter.”

 

“Buck. Mary Jane-”

 

“What? You're gonna let those two be across from each other in a wedding?”

 

“She's a nice woman independent of me dating her. Point. Jan.”

 

“Is that enough?”

 

Steve pulls him against his side, “you can have Thor.”

 

“Might run off with him instead y'know. Got a type,” he smirks and Steve laughs.

 

“Not worried about it.”

 

Bucky climbs on top of him, his left arm hanging loosely at his side while the other moves up his chest, “think you're all that?”

 

“And a bag of potato chips.”

 

“What?”

 

“I dunno,” he grabs Bucky's hips, keeping him from going anywhere even if he'd had no plans to, “heard it on a show from the 90s.”

 

“Whatever,” he leans over and catches Steve's lips with his own, tongue pressing insistently past them, licks at his tongue until Steve gasps into the kiss feeling dazed and calm and excited all at once.

 

“Bucky,” he manages to get out, it's all he ever says once he's this deep into the feeling of Bucky's weight on his hips and his lips sliding against his.

 

“Maybe we oughta wait. Y'know, til the honeymoon.”

 

“Bucky,” he says, trying to sound firm and probably failing.

 

“Just kidding,” Bucky replies and kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> And then Fury tore them a new one because they ran off to get engaged and have off screen sex. Dress 'em up, can't take 'em nowhere. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
